Applications to elite schools rising

By Chung Hyun-chae

More students submitted applications to “autonomous” high schools in Seoul this year than during 2013, despite a push by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) to close some of them as part of efforts to “normalize” public education.

There are 24 autonomous private high schools in Seoul. They plan to select 7,290 freshmen, the same quota as last year. This year, a total of 12,395 students applied for places at these schools, up 668 from last year’s 11,727.

The autonomous schools, introduced under former President Lee Myung-bak, charge higher fees, but have become increasingly popular because they are given more freedom when selecting students and creating curricula.

The education office earlier said that it will strip six autonomous high schools of their licenses and turn them into ordinary schools.

But three of the schools ― Sehwa, Ewha and Choong ― received more applications this year than available places for students.

At Sehwa, the competition ratio for each place stood at 2:1.

The schools say students prefer their special curricula.

“The outcome shows that parents and students still prefer elite schools,” Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Haneul Education, said.

“Parents are opting for these kinds of schools owing to the better academic atmospheres available compared to ordinary schools, including a variety of special activities provided by the schools.”

The education office said that the schools received more applications because the schools allowed all students to apply regardless of their middle school grades.

In the past, only top 50 percent of the students were able to apply to the autonomous private highs schools.

The results came amid disputes between liberal-controlled education offices and the conservative government over the former’s plan to reduce the number of autonomous schools.

The Education Ministry overrode SMOE’s decision to deprive six of these schools of their licenses, Tuesday.

The Ministry of Government Legislation said Sunday that superintendents should consult with the education minister when closing down autonomous private high schools. This means the authority to revoke licenses for such schools is given to both the education chief and the minister.